help from electronics gurus? 555 timer

[kwirky]

here are the specs for the 555 timer I have:
supply: 18V max (normal 4.5-16v)
power dissipation: 600mw
output current (sink or source): 200mA
operating temperature: 0 C to 70C

the relay I have has the following specs:
core resistance: 200 ohms
nominal current: 60mA
DPDT 5A at 120VAC

I have the following AC adapters to play with:
6V 300ma
12V 1.5A

I've been following this tutorial:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2072/proj2.htm

and I've melted my 555 timer to my breadboard

Anyone able to help? I'm planning on using a potentiometer to adjust the time for the timer between 30 seconds and aprox 10 min. 30 sec - 5 min would be OK too.

Also, how can I identify an electrolytic capacitor? I've seen most diagrams call for one, but I can't tell if any of mine are electrolytic?

this is all pretty new to me, and any help'd be great

oh and I found a nice calculator here:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...Bowden/555.htm